What core assumptions about people does the solution-focused approach make?

That each person is the expert on their own life, and that people are fundamentally cooperative beings.

Two stances frame how the helper relates to the person:

• Everyone is the expert of their own life — and, by analogy, the members of an organisation are the experts on that organisation. The helper doesn't arrive with the answer; the person already holds crucial knowledge of their own situation and resources.
• People are cooperative beings — so-called "resistance" is reframed as a sign you haven't yet found their way of cooperating, not proof of obstruction.

These assumptions invert the expert-fixes-broken-client model. They put the person in the lead, make the helper a facilitator, and explain the method's questioning style: you ask (because they know), rather than tell (because you'd know better).

Tip: "You're the expert of your life" — the helper holds the questions, the person holds the answers.